Board sets budget work session

Published: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9:11 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9:11 p.m.

Commissioners received County Manager Steve Wyatt’s recommended 2013-14 budget Wednesday and scheduled a work session for 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 28 to hear from county department heads.

Wyatt’s proposed $109.8 million “base budget” requires no property tax hike, but does call for pulling $4.99 million from the county’s reserves. It creates no new county positions, but funds a 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise for county employees.

About 28 percent of the budget goes to public schools, 26 percent to human services (though $17 million of that comes from state and federal sources) and 21 percent is earmarked for public safety, such as fire, EMS and the sheriff’s office.

The preliminary budget also includes an option, requested by Commissioner Grady Hawkins, to lower the county’s ad valorem tax rate from 51.36 cents per $100 valuation to 50 cents. Doing so without cutting the base budget would require taking $1.64 million more from reserves.

Wyatt’s base budget — designed to meet “current obligations” and fully fund $14.4 million in debt service — excludes about $4.92 million in budget requests. Commissioners set a $110 million target “cap” for Wyatt’s budget, which he met. They will weigh the unfunded requests over the next month.

Those unfunded requests include:

•An $870,846 requested increase from Henderson County Public Schools, which county staff received Tuesday. “So these numbers are basically reflective of level funding there,” Wyatt said, at $21.2 million plus another $9.1 million in debt service for school buildings.

• About $547,000 in capital funds for Blue Ridge Community College. The college is proposed to receive $2.82 million, same as this fiscal year, but school officials asked for $1.2 million for capital expenses.

• Roughly $1 million requested by the sheriff’s office for four new deputies, two new school resource officers, one new crime analyst, two replacement vehicles, and capital repairs/maintenance and equipment, including a tactical robot and polygraph machine.

• About $200,000 requested by the Department of Social Services for an income maintenance worker, two social workers, staff development, departmental supplies, maintenance/repair, medical services and travel expenses.

Chairman Charlie Messer said the work session on May 28 could last all day.

“What we’ll probably do is come in at 11 and start,” he said. “We’ll hear from as many department heads as we can that want to come before us. And we’ll just be here that Tuesday evening until we get through.”

By state law, the county must adopt a final budget by July 1. Commissioners have scheduled a public hearing on the budget for 5:30 p.m., Monday, June 3 in the Historic Courthouse.

In other business, commissioners unanimously approved $585,504 in incentives, over seven years, for a potential $24 million expansion at BorgWarner, a Fletcher manufacturer of engine cooling systems. The expansion would create 80 jobs, paying an average wage of $27.91 per hour with benefits.

<p>Commissioners received County Manager Steve Wyatt's recommended 2013-14 budget Wednesday and scheduled a work session for 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 28 to hear from county department heads.</p><p>Wyatt's proposed $109.8 million “base budget” requires no property tax hike, but does call for pulling $4.99 million from the county's reserves. It creates no new county positions, but funds a 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise for county employees.</p><p>About 28 percent of the budget goes to public schools, 26 percent to human services (though $17 million of that comes from state and federal sources) and 21 percent is earmarked for public safety, such as fire, EMS and the sheriff's office.</p><p>The preliminary budget also includes an option, requested by Commissioner Grady Hawkins, to lower the county's ad valorem tax rate from 51.36 cents per $100 valuation to 50 cents. Doing so without cutting the base budget would require taking $1.64 million more from reserves.</p><p>Wyatt's base budget — designed to meet “current obligations” and fully fund $14.4 million in debt service — excludes about $4.92 million in budget requests. Commissioners set a $110 million target “cap” for Wyatt's budget, which he met. They will weigh the unfunded requests over the next month. </p><p>Those unfunded requests include:</p><p>•An $870,846 requested increase from Henderson County Public Schools, which county staff received Tuesday. “So these numbers are basically reflective of level funding there,” Wyatt said, at $21.2 million plus another $9.1 million in debt service for school buildings.</p><p>• About $547,000 in capital funds for Blue Ridge Community College. The college is proposed to receive $2.82 million, same as this fiscal year, but school officials asked for $1.2 million for capital expenses.</p><p>• Roughly $1 million requested by the sheriff's office for four new deputies, two new school resource officers, one new crime analyst, two replacement vehicles, and capital repairs/maintenance and equipment, including a tactical robot and polygraph machine.</p><p>• About $200,000 requested by the Department of Social Services for an income maintenance worker, two social workers, staff development, departmental supplies, maintenance/repair, medical services and travel expenses. </p><p>Chairman Charlie Messer said the work session on May 28 could last all day. </p><p>“What we'll probably do is come in at 11 and start,” he said. “We'll hear from as many department heads as we can that want to come before us. And we'll just be here that Tuesday evening until we get through.” </p><p>By state law, the county must adopt a final budget by July 1. Commissioners have scheduled a public hearing on the budget for 5:30 p.m., Monday, June 3 in the Historic Courthouse.</p><p>In other business, commissioners unanimously approved $585,504 in incentives, over seven years, for a potential $24 million expansion at BorgWarner, a Fletcher manufacturer of engine cooling systems. The expansion would create 80 jobs, paying an average wage of $27.91 per hour with benefits. </p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>